PAST EVENT

The Browns of California: A Political Family Dynasty

This program is part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation.

Miriam Pawel's panoramic history of California, from the Gold Rush to Silicon Valley, is told through the lens of the Brown family political dynasty. When Governor Jerry Brown finishes his fourth term at the end of 2018, he will have served as both the youngest and the oldest governor of California. His father, Pat Brown, served two terms starting in 1959. Almost half of the state's modern history has happened under a Governor Brown. As Pawel weaves a narrative that is essential to understanding California and the way it has shaped our nation, she brings to life four generations of the Brown family. Pawel also offers correctives for those who confuse stereotypes and legends for history. She opens new vistas for readers only vaguely familiar with the state habitually viewed from afar with a mix of envy, awe, disdain and fascination.

Pulitzer Prize–winning Editor, Newsday, Los Angeles Times, Author, The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty That Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation

In Conversation with Roy Eisenhardt

Lecturer, UC Berkeley Law School

Commonwealth Club

The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to more than 25,000 members and the public, both in-person and via an extensive online and on-air listenership and viewership.